Intended Meaning
The author defines destiny as the objective existence of things and events outside human consciousness It is not merely a mental representation or a human judgment, but an established reality on the side of existence In this way, he places it in contrast to human choice and perception
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: definitional
- Movement of the argument: establishing destiny as an objective existence outside human consciousness.
- Central terms: destiny, objective, human consciousness.
- Degree of centrality: central.
It supports a conception that places destiny on the side of reality rather than human estimation, and links it to what exists in itself before knowledge or judgment.
Links for reading
- Muhammad Shahrur, the Book and the Qur’an
- the Book and the Qur’an and the Mother of the Book
- Disbelief and polytheism are contextual concepts, not tools of authority
Basis
- Supporting text: «Destiny: the objective existence of things and events outside human consciousness».
Basis in the Book
- Book: the Book and the Qur’an.
- Location: in the middle section of the book
- Type of basis: close supporting evidence.
- Marker for verification: the objective existence of things
- Reading note: the phrase gives an explicit definition of destiny as the objective existence of things outside consciousness, which matches the atom.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented
- Meaning of the level: the atom rests on explicit evidence close to the formulation of the claim.
- Limits of reading: the wording above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the evidence is quoted exactly.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional; it fixes a meaning or conceptual distinction that Shahrur relies on in building the idea.
Related to
Editorial Note
The atom is close to the previous one and works with it within a single field.